Chapter One
Hey so, I really wanted to focus on these two character's different experiences surrounding their sexuality and their individual struggles with it. I've tried to create them so that people will identify based on their own experiences -- would love some feedback on that, although it's not super relevant in the first chapter. It's going to be a fun young romance so I hope you enjoy.
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Ripley's POV
Ripley pushed her sunglasses up onto her tightly woven blonde corn-rows.
"Hey, no running Jackson! You'll slip and crack your head open!" she yelled, narrowing her eyes at the small chubby boy who frowned at her, but stopped running.
She stared him down, until he blushed and looked away, ready to comply. Ripley wasn't a serious person, in fact, she firmly believed that rules were made to be broken. However, when it came to her job, she took safety seriously. And that meant making sure everyone followed the rules.
She crossed her legs, shifting uncomfortably in the plastic chair of the lifeguard post. The umbrella hardly cooling the harsh sun which beat down, turning the cement around the pool into a hot plate.
She let out a bored sigh and glanced at the clock at the end of the pool. Only two more hours until closing - great.
Ripley was a restless person, she didn't enjoy sitting still, patience was not a strong point of hers and the need to move was like a fire engulfing her from the inside out.
Some might wonder why she took a job at the pool as a life guard. Well there were three reasons. The first was the fact that, she lived in a small town and there really weren't a whole lot of options when it came to employment. The second reason, was her best friend Wade worked there as a life guard as well. He was a great surfer; almost as a good as herself - she smirked at the thought. And the third, was the scenery.
As if on cue, her ex-boyfriend Seth walked past and gave her a wink. She just smirked at him, obviously checking out his abs. They'd parted on relatively friendly terms and although he was attractive -- Ripley wasn't shy about acknowledging that - she wasn't interested in pursuing any sort of relationship with him.
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It was about an hour and a half until closing, when a pretty new thing caught Ripley's eye.
She was small with long dark hair, wearing a flattering black bikini. She was lounging on her towel down the other end of the pool.
Ripley lowered her sunglasses a little so she could see better.
She wondered briefly if she was a tourist. Their pretty stretch of beach and quiet friendly town often attracted them during the summer.
Either way, Ripley was sure she'd never seen her before or she would have remembered.
"What are you gawking at?" A familiar teasing voice interrupted her thoughts.
Ripley turned to see Wade leaning against the shade sail post, watching her. His expensive sunglass pushed up onto his curly blond surfer-boy hair.
"Nothing," Ripley turned her gaze back to the pool so he couldn't smirk at her.
She felt him move up beside her, following where he gaze had been.
"New girl in town?" he asked casually, a smile in his tone.
"I don't know," Ripley shrugged, "Probably just a tourist."
Wade shrugged, "Well she is something."
Ripley glanced at him, a smug smile plastered across his face as he met her eyes, clearly to gauge her reaction. She punched him in the arm.
"Go do some work. If you distract me and someone drowns, I will blame you."
Wade chuckled but straightened up, "Sure, as if you weren't already distracted," he grinned as he headed back to the café.
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Eve's POV
Eve blew the hair out of her face in frustration, sweating sliding down the back of her neck.
She grunted in frustration as the wheel of suitcase caught on the crooked step of her Grandma's cottage. She huffed and plopped down on the top step, defeated. She couldn't believe her parents had sent her to live in the middle of nowhere, she missed the city and her friends already. It was so unfair.
"Eve sweetheart!" she heard the door open behind her, "What are you doing sitting out here? Come inside, I'm so glad to see you!" her Grandma approached her, leaning down to give her a quick kiss on the head.
Eve smiled up at her, at least her Grandma was a lot sweeter than her parents, even if no more understanding.
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A few days later, Eve was well settled into the spare room of her grandma's neat little house. She already knew her way around town given it was so small, but aside from exploration walks and spending some time at the beach, hadn't found very much interesting to do. She'd discovered there was a bar and local pool but that was about it. She'd decided to tan at the local pool and maybe do a few laps that afternoon, then head down to the bar afterward and see if she might be able to get a job waitressing.
She had an uneventful afternoon at the pool and about a kilometre down the main street toward the beach where the local bar sat. She was hit by a blast of fresh air, cool her unflatteringly red face.
The bar had a long wooden counter, with hundreds of different bottles of alcohol behind it. There were a few signed surfboards hanging around the place, giving it a little more of a beachy vibe. There were a few boys playing pool in the corner, and a neglected dart board not far off.
There were leather booths lining the walls and heavy wooden tables in the middle of the floor. She decided it was a fairly typical bar and nothing to dislike. She put on a polite smile and headed toward the counter. There was a young boy, maybe sixteen years old behind the bar, he had goofy sandy coloured hair sticking out in all directions and gave her a crooked smile as she approached.
"Hi, what can I do for you?" he asked, "My names Sandy by the way, we don't get a lot of new faces around here."
Eve smiled politely at him, "Is the manager around? I'd like to speak to him about if he has any work." She seated herself on the edge of a bar stool.
Sandy grinned, "Great! Let me see if I can find him, he should be out the back somewhere."
The boy put down the glass he was polishing and flung the tea towel over his shoulder, before disappearing through a door by the side of the bar.
A few minutes later a tall, tanned blond man in his forties if she had to guess, emerged. He gave her a warm smile.
"Well Sandy here tells me you're looking for some work?" the man leans casually on the bar.
Eve stands up and gives him a polite, somewhat shy smile.
"Yes, I'm Eve. I've just moved here to live with my Grandma and I was hoping to get some work while I'm around."
The man stuck out his hand, "Well, nice to meet you Eve. I'm Marlin, owner of this here establishment. Who is your Grandma?" he asked politely.
"Edith, Edith Gardner."
"Oh Mrs. Garnder, yes everyone around here knows Mrs. Garnder, lovely old bird. Well you wish her well for me young lady. And yes, as for work, I believe I could do with another waitress given my last one just ran away to college on me."
Eve grinned, "Great! Here, let me give you my phone number so you can contact me."
Marlin nodded, "Okay, but if you're free, I'd be happy for you to start tomorrow, being a Friday and all, it can get pretty busy. I take it you have experience in waiting?"
Eve nodded, "Yes, I worked in a restaurant back in Seattle."
"Seattle hey? Big city girl. Well, this must be quite a shock, this little town here hey?" he gave her a lopsided smile.
She laughed nervously, "I suppose it will take some getting used to."
